X:682010 %%scale .6 T:LAD O'BEIRNE'S REEL SET %R:reel Q:360 M:C| L:1/8 K:D % transposed from F %%vskip 40 %%text LAD O'BEIRNE'S #1 %original key F |:c|"Bm"B2AF BFAF|"A"EA"D"FD "Em"EFDB,|"D"ADD2 A,DFA|"G"B^ABc "D"dfed| "Bm"BFAF BFAF|"A"EA"D"FD "Em"EFDB,|"D"ADD2 "G"B,DGB|"A7"Agfe "D"d3:| |:e|"D"f2ed fded|"G"BedB "D"ADFB|"A"A2GB "D"ABdf|"Em"edef "A"e2c/d/e| [1 "D"fdd2 fded|"G"BedB "D"ADFB|"A"A2^GB "D"ABdf|"A"e^dec "D"=d3:| [2 "D"dffe d3A|"G"BcdB "D"AFED|"D"ADD2 "G"B,DGB|"A7"Agfe "D"d3|| %%vskip 40 K:G %%text LAD O'BEIRNE'S #2 |:E|"G"DGG2 DGBG|"Am"AcBG AEE2|"G"DGG2 DGBd|"C"egfg e2 ge| "G"dBB2 AGEG|"C"cE E2 "G"GEDB|"G"DEGA B2 eB|"G"dB"D7"Ac "G"BGG :| |:B|"G"d2 "C"ce "G"d2 Bd|"C"egdg e2 ge|"G"dBB2 AGEG|"C"cEE2 "G"GEDc| "G"Bdd2 "Bm"Bdef|"C"gfga "G"gedB|"G"DEGA "Em"B2 eB|"G"dB"D7"Ac "G"BGG :| %%vskip 40 %%text LAD O'BEIRNE'S #3 K:D |:E|"D"D2F/E/D ADFA|"D"dfed "Bm"BAFE|"D"D2F/E/D ADFA|"Bm"BF F2 "A"EDB,C| "D"D2F/E/D ADFA|"Bm"B2AF DEFA|"G"B2AB GABc|1 "Bm"dBAF "A"EGF :|2 "Bm"dBAF "A"E3|| |:A|"D"dcdf "Em"efdc|"Bm"BAFE "D"D2AB/c/|"D"d2df "Em"edBA|"Bm"Bdfd "A"e2 Bc| "D"dcdf "Em"efdc|"Bm"BAFE "D"DEFA|"G"B3A GABc|1"Bm"dBAF "A"EGF :|2 dBAF AGFE|D8|| NOTE: This track contains three reels composed by the late Sligo-born fiddler James "Lad" O'Beirne, who after emigrating spent his life in the New York area until he passed away in 1980. Like so many other musicians of his generation, Lad was a great hand at composing tunes but did a very poor job of naming them - much like Martin Wynne. There are tunes played today that may or may not be Lad's compositions - the reel that's known as 'Andy McGann's #1' was probably composed by him, the jig known by his name (or by Joe Burke's) probably not. There's a nice reel called 'Pride of the Bronx' which may be one of Lad's, or maybe it's one of Martin's or Larry Redican's. . .trying to figure all this out is fun but ultimately frustrating, especially when you have instances where folks responsible for the tune don't take credit for it and conversely when they didn't compose the tune but their name winds up on it some way or another . . . At this point in time we probably won't ever know for sure unless somebody comes up with manuscript copies - memories which might not have been accurate in the first place aren't getting any better as the years pass. Dan Collins - a cofounder of Shanachie Records - was a reliable source of information, but he died a while back and I'm not sure there's anyone left who can replace his first-hand experience of the New York musicians of an earlier day. The tunes on this track are all reels "gan ainm" - the first is from a recording by the Clare concertina player Josephine Marsh. The ABC - in the key of F - was posted on the IRTRAD mailing list by Jeff Lindqvist some years back. The second is probably Lad's best-known tune and the one you're most likely to hear at sessions. This setting is from Brian Conway. The third tune I transcribed from a recording called "Lamh ar Lamh", which was put together as a fund-raiser for a Dublin hospital by the fiddler Tony Smith and features many fine local musicians. As I said, all these tunes bear Lad's name, but how number 1 and 3 arrived in the hands of Ms Marsh and Mr. Smith I can't say. On the other hand the New York Sligo connection involving Coleman, Killoran, Lad O Beirne, Andy McGann, and Brian Conway (with Martin Wynne, Paddy Reynolds, and Tony De Marco in the mix somewhere) is pretty clear-cut, or as clear-cut as anything can be in Irish traditional music. They're all fine tunes and worth learning. Contact me if you want copies of the notation, or visit my Irish Traditional Tune Library online - www.capeirish.com/ ittl/.